Avoid the Legal Horrors with Julie King: Patent, Trademark, and Business Strategy

You have an invention, but before you file, you need to know this: The USPTO is a graveyard for brilliant ideas killed by simple legal errors.

Attorney Julie King, a rock-and-horror-loving patent lawyer, shows you the Six Legal Sins that send great inventions to the grave. Learn to avoid Oversharing (Sin 1), Redundancy (Sin 2), and Amateurism (Sin 6) to keep your international rights and ensure your patent is enforceable. Over 92% of applications receive a rejection, so you need a plan!

• Sin 1: Oversharing (0:44)
• Sin 2: Redundancy (2:25)
• Sin 3: Omission (4:03)
• Sin 4: Obviousness (5:48)
• Sin 5: Impersonation (7:12)
• Sin 6: Amateurism (9:22)

Don't let your brilliant invention become another headstone in The Patent Graveyard. Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. Having a professional in your corner is the best way to avoid committing these legal sins.

Full transcript at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠

Don't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com⁠.

Avoid the legal horrors, and keep rocking your IP.

This information is for educational purposes only, isn’t legal advice, and doesn’t form an attorney-client relationship. Please seek the counsel of a licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

#patent #patentlaw #intellectualproperty #patentsearch #inventions #invention #inventor

The unauthorized use of AI to clone your voice or image (deepfake) requires a legal defense. Attorney Julie King discusses the ELVIS Act in Tennessee, which protects an individual's voice from unauthorized AI simulation. Learn how explicit contract provisions are currently the strongest protection against digital replicas.

Full transcript at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠

Don't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com⁠.

Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

Discover the famous Tom Waits right of publicity case: he successfully sued Frito-Lay and its ad agency for using a voice impersonator. The court noted that a voice is "as distinctive and personal as a face". This segment explains the legal mechanism of the right of publicity and why protecting your unique identity is essential.

Full transcript at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠

Don't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com⁠.

Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

Your personal brand, including your signature look and style, is protected by trademark law and the right of publicity. Learn how a contract can become a trap if it's too broad, allowing a brand to edit your content or use your likeness in a way that damages your reputation.

Full transcript at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠

Don't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com⁠.

Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

The consequences of poor disclosure can include fines, class action lawsuits, and damaged trust. The FTC rule is simple: if there is a material connection (cash, product, loan), it must be clearly and conspicuously shown. Julie King warns against the legal risks of vague tags like #collab or #partner. Use #ad or #sponsored at the very top.

Full transcript at ⁠⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blog⁠

Don't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com⁠.

Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

The true horror happens when contracts are poorly drafted. This segment dissects the two most common errors: granting a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license without realizing it , or the business failing to include an assignment clause and thus not owning its own marketing material. Protect your IP and avoid expensive legal battles.

Full transcript at kingpatentlaw.com/blogDon't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at KingPatentLaw.com. Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs. And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

Learn the difference between copyright assignment (selling ownership) and licensing (renting permission to use).

Attorney Julie King breaks down the two main legal mechanisms for securing rights to content and reveals why the "work made for hire" mechanism is rarely applicable to independent contractors.

Don't be fooled by the Siren's Song!

Full transcript at ⁠kingpatentlaw.com/blogDon't let the legal darkness win. Ready to build or manage your frighteningly powerful IP? Book your consultation with me at KingPatentLaw.com. Finally, this is not legal advice and I'm not your lawyer. Please seek the counsel of licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

And stay legally sharp and keep rocking your IP.

What if the contract for your next big brand or marketing deal was actually a monster, and it just swallowed the rights to your best work?

In this spine-chilling episode of Spellbinding IP, rock-and-horror-loving patent attorney Julie King confronts The Contract from the Black Lagoon. With over 25 years of experience as a lawyer, Julie reveals the hidden claws in marketing contract clauses that can wound your business, destroy consumer trust, and leave you legally exposed. We’re breaking down complex US legal issues into plain language so you can create k

In this episode, we unearth:

• Trap One: The Siren’s Copyright Song Luring Content Owners Astray: Who truly owns the photos, videos, or songs created for a campaign—and why the phrase "work made for hire" is often useless for independent contractors. (at 1:20)

• Trap Two: The Leviathan Grip of the FTC’s Rules About Transparency and Disclosures: Learn how to dodge crippling FTC fines and class-action lawsuits by making your #Ad or #Sponsored disclosures clear and conspicuous. (at 6:46)

• Trap Three: The Trademark Terror: Protecting the Creator’s Brand: How broad contract language or a "sad beige lawsuit" can let a brand tarnish the goodwill you’ve built into your own name, look, and style. (at 9:18)

• The Deepfake End of The Lagoon: The rapid, complex fight against the unauthorized use of AI to clone or duplicate your voice and likeness, and the protection offered by state laws like the ELVIS Act. (at 16:31)

Stop signing bad deals! If you’re a small business, brand, or creative entrepreneur, your contracts are the only thing standing between a profitable collaboration and a legal nightmare. Visit KingPatentLaw.com to learn how to fortify your contracts today!

Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you’re a creator or other entrepreneur ready to build a frighteningly powerful brand and business, you need to know how to use it.

You don't have to face the darkness alone. To learn more about protecting your creations, your name, your business, and your legacy, you can book a consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com.

I’m Julie King, a licensed attorney in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, and I help entrepreneurs across the U.S. make smart, legally sound decisions about their intellectual property.

If this episode helped you survive the horror of learning about how to protect and manage your intellectual property and business, please like and subscribe if you haven’t already!

You can find all of my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website, at "Spellbinding IP: Patent, Trademark, and Business Strategy" on all major podcast platforms, and at @kingpatentlaw on most social media.

The information provided in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. You should not act on any information presented here without first seeking the counsel of a licensed attorney for your specific legal needs.

Thank you for tuning in. Stay legally sharp, and keep rocking your IP!

#intellectualproperty #InfluencerMarketing #RightOfPublicity #Deepfake #ELVISAct #smallbusinesstips #copyright #influencer #marketing

If you have an invention you’re launching, looking into patent clearance and protection isn’t enough. While a patent freedom-to-operate search focuses on identifying patents your invention may be infringing, a comprehensive launch strategy for your invention also requires a full-spectrum IP checkup, including trademarks and copyrights.

A trademark clearance search is similar to the FTO search in that it looks for existing trademarks your business, brand, or product name or logo, or other trademarks such as scents and package design, are possibly infringing on someone else’s trademark, whether registered or unregistered. Like an FTO search it provides an opportunity for adjustment to avoid infringement.

Copyright clearance involves making sure your related creative works, such as instruction manuals, packaging art, marketing art, marketing music, and website copy, aren’t infringing on others’ copyright rights. For example, do you have the proper rights to the photos on your website?

The lesson here is, don't clear and protect your invention on the patent front only to get sued over what you named it or how you marketed it.

Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you’re ready to build a frighteningly powerful business and brand, you don't have to face the darkness alone.

Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I serve entrepreneurs across the U.S.

You can find all my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website and at @kingpatentlaw on social media.

Finally, the information in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. Always seek the counsel of a licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

Stay legally sharp, and keep rocking your IP!

#patent #freedomtooperate #patentsearch #intellectualproperty

If the patent freedom-to-operate (FTO) search reveals a concerning patent, your invention may be in danger of infringing, the situation is not hopeless. This is where the magic of "design around" comes in.

We point out the potential infringement and discuss with you how intentionally modifying your product to omit or change at least one element of the independent claim that may be infringed can avoid infringement while achieving the desired result.

Here’s a quick example. If a patent protects a "three-wheeled wagon with a red handle," you can create a non-infringing "four-wheeled wagon with a blue handle." You achieve the same goal, a pull-wagon, but legally sidestep the patent infringement claims.

If infringement is possible, a successful design-around strategy creates a better, legally sound product.

Intellectual property is one of the most terrifyingly useful tools you have. If you’re ready to build a frighteningly powerful business and brand, you don't have to face the darkness alone.

Book your consultation with me at kingpatentlaw.com. I serve entrepreneurs across the U.S.

You can find all my other frighteningly good content on the King Patent Law website and at @kingpatentlaw on social media.

Finally, the information in this episode is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or form an attorney-client relationship. Always seek the counsel of a licensed attorney, perhaps me, for your specific legal needs.

Stay legally sharp, and keep rocking your IP!

#patent #freedomtooperate #patentsearch #intellectualproperty